cocktail rye bread with reuben dip

Tell me I’m not the only one who grew up on those mini cocktail rye breads at holiday gatherings. You know the ones — they’re square-shaped and, well, mini and they perform like champs when it comes to bringing spinach dip from the bowl to your mouth. Sometimes they also make fun lil’ cucumber sammies. I love ’em.

I love them so much, in fact, that I fear the day when I will need them for a party and they will be all out at the grocery store (which probably will never happen, because I always see stacks and stacks of them by the deli counter, BUT STILL); or the day when I have a craving for them but there’s a blizzard outside (may it never be again this winter, though); or, more likely, when I’m too lazy to put on real clothes and walk out the door but I still want the cocktail rye bread yum yums.

This is my brain on pregnant.

Anyway, that’s how this homemade cocktail rye bread came to be. And the reuben dip is a bonus recipe because, well, what good is cocktail rye bread without a dip? You’re welcome.

yeast in bowl

Maybe you’re one of those people who’s like, “I need everything in my kitchen to be homemade everything, ever” and if so, mad respect to you and your homemade almond milk and ability to say no to those Reese’s eggs. Truly. But if you’re more like me and you’re sort of thinking, “Why would I bother making homemade cocktail rye bread with all that time and energy when I could just buy it at the store, because as you said Stephanie, they never really run out of those things,” my response would be: 1) These actually take very little time and energy at all; 2) Homemade = you know what’s going into your body and 3) Homemade also = more deliciousness. Other bonuses: You’ll probably save a bit of money making it from scratch AND people at your party will be super impressed with your cocktail rye bread making skills.

cocktail rye bread dough rising in bowl

cocktail rye bread dough ready for baking

cocktail rye bread on cooling rack

For this recipe, I used Red Star Platinum yeast as my instant yeast of choice, and I continue to love it because for me it has always yielded a better product: Higher rise, faster rise time, etc. I also used regular rye flour for the recipe, but I’ve seen other recipes that use pumpernickel flour, light rye flour or dark rye flour — whatever you have on hand or can find will work, but you may have to adjust how much bread flour you add to the dough to give it the right consistency. No bigs.

sliced cocktail rye bread

Finally, this reuben dip: YUM. I highly suggest you make it to go with those fabulous homemade cocktail rye breads you just made, you homemade bread baker, you. Then bring it to a St. Patrick’s Day party (do people even have those? I don’t know, as I’m a St. Patrick’s Day hermit) or better yet, celebrate the day at home in your jammies with an obscene helping of this dip and cocktail rye bread slices on the side. This is my plan and I’m already excited.

P.S. For more baking tips, visit Red Star Yeast or head over to their Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages.

cocktail rye bread with reuben dip

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cocktail rye bread with reuben dip

Cocktail Rye Bread

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  • Author: Girl Versus Dough
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 55 mins
  • Yield: 4 small loaves 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 1/2 cups bread flour, divided
  • 1 cup rye flour, divided
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) Red Star Platinum Yeast (or instant yeast)
  • 1 1/4 cups warm water (about 120 to 130 degrees F)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons molasses
  • 1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1 cup bread flour, 1/2 cup rye flour and Platinum yeast. Add warm water; stir to combine.
  2. Add another 1 cup bread flour, remaining 1/2 cup rye flour, salt, oil, molasses and caraway seeds, if desired; stir with a wooden spoon or dough hook attachment until a soft dough forms.
  3. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 to 12 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup remaining bread flour as necessary to create a soft, elastic and slightly tacky (not sticky) dough; OR, knead dough in stand mixer with dough hook on low speed 5 to 8 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup remaining bread flour as necessary to create a soft, elastic and slightly tacky (not sticky) dough.
  4. Shape dough into a ball and place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise 45 minutes in a warm place until doubled.
  5. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Punch down dough; divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 1-inch thick log. Place logs a couple inches apart on a parchment paper or silicone mat-lined baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and let rise 20 to 30 minutes until doubled.
  6. Uncover risen loaves and bake 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and each loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.

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cocktail rye bread with reuben dip

Reuben Dip

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  • Author: Girl Versus Dough
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 8 to 10 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 (8 oz) package Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing
  • 4 ounces (about 1 cup) chopped deli-sliced corned beef
  • 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 3/4 cup drained sauerkraut

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat cream cheese and Thousand Island dressing until smooth. Add chopped corned beef, shredded Swiss and mozzarella cheeses and sauerkraut; stir to combine. Spread mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie plate or other shallow baking dish.
  3. Bake 25 minutes until bubbly and heated through. Serve with sliced cocktail rye bread.

Disclosure: I received compensation from Red Star Yeast for recipe development purposes. All opinions are my own.